Sweet Potato Cottage Pie

Over the last 2-3 weeks I’ve literally become obsessed with documentaries on Netflix. Yesterday was a snow day – watched two {one on 9/11, one on the CIA/Rick Ross}. When I found out about the snow day the night before, I went absolutely wild and watched the Amanda Knox story. Oh, and Then there was the Enron one sometime in the last few weeks. Every night for a week, another episode of Dirty Money. I don’t now where this all came from in such a sudden, but I can’t get enough. Do you recommend any? Because clearly I’m not stopping anytime soon…which I don’t know if that’s something to be proud of or not. One thing, I am proud of, however, is my love for cooking familiar family recipes. Ya know, the ones that bring back memories.

I grew up with my parents making the same form of Shepherd’s Pie all during my childhood. Layer of ground beef, layer of creamed corn, layer of mashed potatoes. Boom. It was comfort food and always delicious, especially when we had some of my grandmother’s piccalilli to add to it!

Over the years, as I’ve taught myself how to cook and have learned more and more about food, I’ve realized that I’ve had it all wrong. For starters, Shepherd’s Pie is made from lamb…it’s Cottage Pie that I grew up on. Mind blown.

But now that we’ve established that, I’ve also realized that just like my family had its traditional way of making it, so don’t so many others. With that being said, I’ve tried experimenting with different versions and flavors and am absolutely loving every single one. {One of my favorites is this stuffed potato version!}

Each time, I try and stick to the basics, layer of meat and a layer of potatoes. Fresh herbs and vegetables are the most I change, but sometimes I change how I prepare it too…like in this one, I used sweet potatoes instead of russets! IT’s such a great combination, but they beauty about it is that you can change it to use the vegetables and herbs that you love to make it perfect for you!

XO

{Are you on social media? Tag pictures of your favorite ESJ recipes using #EverydaySarahJane I’d love to see and share what you’re making!! XO}

Ingredients

1 1/2 – 2 Lbs ground beef

1/2 Onion, chopped

1-2 Cups veggies, frozen or fresh {I used crinkle carrots, cauliflower rice and broccoli rice but you can use anything!}

In a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, begin to brown the ground beef. {I always use a potato masher to help break it up.} Once it is almost browned, carefully drain/remove most of the grease, leaving about 1 tablespoon.

Using a slotted spoon, remove beef from the skillet and set aside. Add vegetables and onions to skillet, stirring often. When onions are almost translucent, add garlic. {Add ghee or butter here if necessary, one teaspoon at a time.} Continue to stir to avoid garlic from burning and cook for 1 minute. Add beef back to skillet along with seasonings, broth, pinches of salt and pepper. Lower heat to low and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Turn the stove heat off and spoon potatoes, evenly, over beef mixture. Place in oven and bake for 30 minute, until potatoes begin to crisp. {Using a fork, you can also add “peaks” that’ll brown in the oven.}

I made this last weekend and it was delish! I’m the only vegan in the house so I shared it with a vegan friend and she also raved about it. This is the first recipe I’ve made of yours, and I’ll definitely make more! Thank you for your hard work!